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Business has been booming at Webb City’s S & J Processing lately, and that’s just the way Charlotte Sargent likes it.

“We’re here in the morning at 6, before the phones ring and the doors open at 8 so we can get two or three out. Whether it be pigs or cows, we just get them out,” said Charlotte.

Charlotte’s son Anthony is the owner of S & J, and he says he hasn’t seen a demand like this during his decade in the business.

“I’m not over exaggerating. I’m probably getting 100 to 150 phone calls a day of people trying to get beef and their hogs processed here,” said Anthony.

And the reason for the increase in orders and customer wait times? Anthony thinks the culprit is Coronavirus concerns.

“These processing plants, these packing plants, the big ones that are feeding the American people are beginning to be shut down. I think now they’re reopening. But yeah, with that, people are kind of wondering what’s going to happen in the next few weeks to the next few months. And so they’re making sure that their families are secure with having meat on the table by having meat in the freezer,” said Anthony.

Anthony says he’s grateful for the increased business but would also appreciate a return to normalcy for the sake of his customers.

“If fear is the thing that’s driving this, I don’t want fear to rule the people. And so if I was to say, ‘Hey, could I slack it down a little bit as far as our business,’ and erase fear from people, absolutely. But were not afraid of the busyness as well,” said Anthony.